The Stranglers : Feline : 40th Anniversary Edition : Review | Now Spinning Magazine

[@kenfrederick6223]

This a good album and I always liked the cover art. This vinyl version looks great.

[@MartinPopoff]

Love this, Phil - thanks for covering The Stranglers. And great info.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Hi Martin, thank you for watching - Phil :)

[@TheChadTI]

I went to listen to this album in spotify on a whim (ive oly hearsmd the early stuff) I dropped my phone on the way into the bathroom and ended up here😅 It started auto playing this review. The description of it being more Depeche/soft cell made me very intrigued. Im now going to return to listening to it. Cheers 🤙

[@SJHUE]

Nice review Phil! Regardless of what style the Stranglers were playing I`ve always found something of interest on each and every Stranglers release. I love the look of this vinyl release and I am very tempted!

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for watching - Phil

[@clivesnowden4348]

Great to see The Stranglers featured here, Phil. Their first three albums are my favourites, but I'm very tempted by this.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Hi Clive, thank you for watching - I am enjoying expanding the music reach of the channel and website. Phil

[@graemeknowles1431]

Very cool Phil. Going to pick up the 2CD version next weekend. Enjoy.

[@teckertime]

Me Too!

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for watching - Phil

[@paulbartholomew3334]

Just saw them live in Melbourne (first of many times was 1979 in Bristol) and have been playing through their albums to my Colombian partner who came to the gig and really enjoyed it. To be honest I’ve always been ambivalent about Feline but it struck me listening the other day that it’s very much a European flavoured album all the way through (not just the obviously titled single). Can’t see the US going for this at all but understand why it was popular in France. Great review and the album looks great. I recently bought a turntable, inspired in part by being repatriated with my old Stranglers albums after 40 odd years after my brothers kindly lent them out after I left the UK 😂

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Hi Paul, thank you for watching. I was the same and my wife kept playing this recently and I started to really get it whereas at the time I didn’t! I might play it again now! Phil

[@jegarajramoo3873]

Hello Phil. The Marble Red vinyl looks superb. Dave Greenfield and Jet Black would have been proud of this reissue. And as for The Stranglers, their sound always had a touch of classic rock and prog, even during the punk era.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for watching - Phil

[@marcdewolf7334]

I thought this album had been coming, as after the success of 'Golden Brown' they seized on an opportunity to exploit this softer musical style (in an attempt to find a new audience). The Stranglers were like musical camelions, they could blend their music in all types of unusual directions at the 'drop of a hat' and sound like they had been playing it for years and that's what made them different from any other band (they never stuck to a formula). It also put them back in the singles [Top 40] charts again, having three top 10 hits in one year (Golden Brown (2), Strange Little Girl (7) and European Female (9)). I love this album which was intended to be a mixture of Northern and Southern European sounds (spanish guitar, synths and drummer Jet Black's newly aquired 'Simmons' drum kit for this album and this album only. while JJ Burnel took the edge of his growling bass sound to adopt a more toned down sound with him changing to flatwound bass guitar strings). Hugh Cornwell admiited years later the album lacked production and had generally missed the softer southern european sound with the album sounding 'too cold'. They had not used a producer since Martin Rushent walked away from them in 1979 (the band deciding to take more control in the production department themselves) which I always thought was a big mistake. After Feline they brought in producers but due to band dynamics after the successful 1982/83 period and signing a new record contract (to frankly a record company that was not suited to them in CBS-Sony) for around £1m. The decision to go with CBS was purely financial as they had a lot of debts to pay off and CBS trumped bids from Virgin records and Sire records (the band wanted to sign to Virgin but their accountants told them to do otherwise). This album produced their only top 10 album for CBS and European Female their only top 10 hit (that they wrote) in a seven year slog of unsuccesful LP's and singles (a mixture of poor record company plugging and to a degree the band not working as a unit) at least we got a decent debut album and single from this project and it deserves the 40th anniversary release.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts. Phil

[@gordongibson7202]

Phil what is the boxset behind you, with the girl it is next to the Miles Davis set

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Hi Gordon, it is this one by Judie Tzuke kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXqvZGuVqp1md8U

[@gordongibson7202]

@@NowSpinningMagazine thanks for letting know about this amazing woman I'll try Spotify, then I'll see if I can get some of her albums.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

You are very welcome 🙏

[@gordongibson7202]

​@@NowSpinningMagazine listening to her right now and I'm liking what I've heard so far thanks again.

[@mc2594]

similar decade at least, you forgot Manhatton Transfer and Sade lol

[@johnsimmons5056]

Gret Review Phil. Thanks.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Thank you for watching - Phil

[@jean-lucpernel2202]

Hi Phil, je suis désolé mais j'ai raté beaucoup de rendez-vous [problèmes de santé je vais essayer de reprendre ce que j'ai raté des que possible,à bientôt pour la suite 🤗

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Hi Jean, I hope you are feeling better - Phil

[@jean-lucpernel2202]

@@NowSpinningMagazine hi Phil merci pour ton soutien,i feeling sometime bad, sometime good.🤗

[@rolandpritchard1731]

L.p C.D

[@garyhitchcock3828]

The last good Stranglers album imho Blue Sister Never say goodbye excellent tracks they lost their way after Feline with the introduction of that god awful brass section on the next album Aural Sculpture. 😫

[@MaterLacrymarum]

Wow, how are you able to afford all this music?!?!

[@SaintMartins]

Most of it is sent to him for free by record companies who seek people like him on KZbin to help promote new releases. He has a good standing relationship with them. The same happens with people who work on radio & magazines.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

Hi, I do get some things sent to me but most of it I pay for myself and physical copies are not sent out like in the past. This is why some releases I have not done like the Rory Gallagher Deluxe editions because my budget did not stretch that far and the Thin Lizzy Live and Dangerous set where I waited for the price to drop and it sold out!. I am still very honest and independent so if something could be better or corners have been cut I will point it out. I will add that the reason I never give a bad review on the music aspect is that I only review things I like - Phil :)

[@MaterLacrymarum]

@@NowSpinningMagazine Thanks, Phil. I do think it's important to be honest with the audience. Your saying physical product is no longer sent out clears up a lot - if you have the product in the video, then you spent your money on it, and I can trust a fair commentary. Since you are spending money, it makes sense you like the titles. Sadly there is so much shilling going on on KZbin these days, I hope you understand. Th real tragedy is that you didn't get the Rory sets. I have the first one, and it's killer.

[@MaterLacrymarum]

@@SaintMartins Thanks Saint. I have to say, far too few KZbinrs want transparency about this topic, and it's a serious flaw. I won't watch people who simply review free product as I've no reason to trust their judgement.

[@NowSpinningMagazine]

@@MaterLacrymarum hopefully you can trust me even if it is something I have been sent because I will always show you every detail of the product and say what I really think. I get lots of emails per day wanting me to review or feature a new release or reissues but only respond to something I would buy myself. There are so many releases and bands I would like to cover but my budget only goes so far ( luckily I have an understanding family & wife! ) So the support I get from patrons, KZbin ads and some labels does allow me to do this and continue to grow Now Spinning Magazine. Thank you - Phil